– LOVE ONE ANOTHERhttp://www.roseheights.org
Thu, 15 Feb 2018 15:37:58 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.7.9“Whew…”http://www.roseheights.org/blog/whew/
http://www.roseheights.org/blog/whew/#respondThu, 04 Jun 2015 19:32:52 +0000http://www.roseheights.org/?p=9975Read more »]]>“Whew,” the old retired doctor exclaimed, letting out a deep sigh, “It’s a mystery.” With that, as always, he wryly smiled, picked himself up out of his chair, and slowly walked away.

Each time, without fail, he leaves me with the uncanny feeling that he knows something I don’t – that he’s been getting at something in our conversation that I have yet to understand fully. He’s like a master chess player who’s always thinking a few moves ahead of me, his amateur counterpart.

Our conversations are vast and erratic, often skipping from one deep pool to the next, moving swiftly from subjects like the etymology of his favorite words and their Latin roots to timeless spiritual questions and theological mysteries.

And, each conversation always ends just the same – “whew.”

I find myself looking forward to our randomly consistent encounters, knowing that someday I’ll have that eureka moment when the veil is lifted and I finally get it, whatever that might be.
The one thing that has always intrigued me about this retired doctor, so brilliant and logical, is his emphasis on divine mystery, interjecting God’s awe and splendor into the equation of faith and daily life. He knows and has made peace with the fact that he doesn’t know, content with his incapacity to comprehend it all, especially concerning God.

He’s always learning; always discovering; never completing.

I’m reminded of David, who captured his awestruck fascination in scripture (Psalm 8:3-9):

“When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor. You made them rulers over the works of your hands; you put everything under their feet: all flocks and herds, and the animals of the wild, the birds in the sky, and the fish in the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas. Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!”
You see, it’s the element of mystery and awe in our faith that sustains our spiritual life, humbling us before “our Lord” and beckoning us to grow, to experience and know Him more. Without it, we all too often become complacent in our faith, arrogant, egotistical, judgmental, and harsh.

The unknown, the mere possibility of something otherwise, softens our positions and ushers in the opportunity for grace. It deflects our natural gaze from the seen to the unseen, from the outward to the inward, from the action to the heart. Common ground can be found, beauty and unity discovered in the midst of our differences.

Divine mystery opens questions we’ve failed to ask and welcomes considerations we’ve oft overlooked. What might God be doing?Could He be moving in a way we don’t fully understand?Is He leading the church to a place I’ve yet to go myself? And, perhaps the biggest question of them all, “What if…”

So, let me ask, “Is there room for divine mystery in your faith?”

Maybe, just maybe, we could all use a little more awe in our lives, a few more moments of “whew.”

Today, that is my prayer for us all.

]]>http://www.roseheights.org/blog/whew/feed/0The Pursuit of Successhttp://www.roseheights.org/blog/the-pursuit-of-success/
http://www.roseheights.org/blog/the-pursuit-of-success/#respondSat, 11 Oct 2014 16:46:46 +0000http://www.roseheights.org/?p=546Read more »]]>If you’re anything like me, a young and aspiring professional, then you understand first-hand the need to succeed. Each morning, we awake determined, fixated on our daily tasks, recognizing that steadfast perseverance will lead us to eventual triumph. And, so, we challenge ourselves to work harder, longer, and better than others, seizing our destiny one project at a time, our dreams of prosperity inevitable.

But, what if the seeds of our ambition and toil fail to germinate into the life-long success we dreamed?

Most of us cringe at the thought, the fear of failure a motivation only slightly more potent than the prospect of mediocrity. On our quest for success, we never consider a second place finish, much less defeat. Mistakes are only momentary setbacks, which we overcome by the sheer force of our will and the power of our modern mind. Like a mathematician testing a proof, we obsess over our life blunders, painstakingly analyzing our past decisions for the slightest miscalculation. After all, we are convinced that A+B=C — hard work plus a quality education always yields a good job. And, in those rare instances when our formula of success fails, ruining our immediate expectations, we quickly rework our figures without excuse, confident that our equation for personal prosperity has been made logically sound again.

Yet, despite our wishes to the contrary, success in life is not a calculation regulated by absolute laws of nature. Often, our best laid plans, formulas of success proven in the lives of others, become irreparably tattered. No matter how hard we work to emulate these seemingly perfect processes, we don’t all become the movie stars, professional athletes, or medical doctors we intended. To our dismay, most of us somehow miss our proverbial “lucky break,” that enigmatic move of fate that propels us toward greatness. Worse still is the reality that some of the “lucky” few, those of us somehow arriving victoriously, achieving our dreams of success and prosperity, do so only to find it strangely unfulfilling, the unintended consequence of perspective gained. All at once, life’s cold, hard reality confronts us mercilessly, challenging the very paradigm of success which has long since guided and shaped our lives.

We frantically question ourselves, asking, “What now? Is this all there is?”

Must we seemingly settle for a second-rate life, one forever stained with the failure and personal regret of dreams left unfulfilled? Or, having achieved unfulfilling dreams, must we now live some elaborate charade, assuring others of our contentment even as we remain unconvinced ourselves?

No. But, like everything in life, the answer is entirely up to us.

Some, oblivious to its ultimate futility, will maintain their eternal devotion to popular ideals of success without question, unwavering in their pursuit of wealth, power, and fame against all odds. Yet, those like us, you and me, consciously respond in a critical moment of clarity, willfully choosing to challenge these social norms, reclaiming our ambitions, and regaining the authenticity of our unique, God-given purpose, regardless of others’ perceptions.

Reviving that which subtly was lost, we suddenly feel alive again, as if for the first time. We shrug off the weight of external expectations, choosing to embrace our own path, contently walking in our new-found freedom. Throwing out the calculus book of success, authored from the formulaic lives and accounts of strangers, we pick up our own pen and begin to write,believing that what God has placed uniquely within us will create an incomparably beautiful story, a journey that, with last jot, will reveal our greatest success.

You see, we’ve discovered the deep truth, the one hidden among all the noise: life isn’t about setting our sights low or high; it’s about setting them genuinely, orienting them within the broader picture of who we really are — who God has created us to be — and that which brings us ultimate fulfillment and joy.

That is success.

]]>http://www.roseheights.org/blog/the-pursuit-of-success/feed/0An Interruption of Gracehttp://www.roseheights.org/blog/an-interruption-of-grace/
http://www.roseheights.org/blog/an-interruption-of-grace/#respondMon, 15 Sep 2014 16:46:03 +0000http://www.roseheights.org/?p=543Read more »]]>Have you ever been in a situation in life where you were fervently seeking the Lord, and yet, it seemed like He was ignoring you, like your prayers weren’t getting through. In times like these, it can feel like you’re on the outside looking in, like He’s a million miles away, like He’s left you alone in your time of greatest need.

You’re not the only one to feel this way, I promise.

But, it is in these difficult moments when our response to the situation means everything.

We see this principle at work in a rather peculiar story found in Matthew 15:21-28.

“Jesus went away from there, and withdrew into the district of Tyre and Sidon. And a Canaanite woman from that region came out and began to cry out, saying, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is cruelly demon-possessed.” But He did not answer her a word. And His disciples came and implored Him, saying, “Send her away, because she keeps shouting at us.” But He answered and said, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” But she came and began to bow down before Him, saying, “Lord, help me!” And He answered and said, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” But she said, “Yes, Lord; but even the dogs feed on the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.” Then Jesus said to her, “O woman, your faith is great; it shall be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter was healed at once.“

I have to be honest, this is one of those passages that I have kind of pushed into the background, not really doing much with it — at least until recently. And, with a quick glance through the story, you can probably guess why.

It creates a deeply visceral reaction. To the casual reader, it’s likely offensive to some degree. I mean, “What the heck was Jesus thinking!?!” He’s not supposed to act like that! Seriously, how many times is it written in scripture that He healed all of those brought to Him, the sick and the afflicted. And, seemingly every time someone cried out for help, like the Canaanite woman, Jesus always intervened, meeting their needs with compassion and grace. So, what’s up with this passage?

Let’s go a little deeper.

You see, Jesus and His disciples had just left a contentious confrontation with the religious leaders of the day and were trying to keep a low profile. After all, they were in a remote region near two gentile cities that were known for their immorality and barbarism. But, word got out about Jesus, just like it always did.

And, that’s when the Canaanite woman came on the scene.

Think about it, when you have a daughter who is “cruelly” demon possessed, you’re going to move heaven and earth to get her help. And, when you hear about a man who has miraculously healed and delivered multitudes, with tremendous love, mercy, and grace — you’re going to find Him and you’re going to do whatever it takes for Him to move on your behalf, even if you are a gentile stranger.

So, she did — she found Him and began to cry out for help.

But, she was ignored, even by Jesus.

Determinedly, she kept crying out, kept pursuing Jesus, as if her daughter’s life depended on it.

The disciples, once again showing their penchant for occasional bouts of callousness, became fed up with her annoying persistence and begged Jesus to send her away. But, Jesus didn’t respond to their request; He wouldn’t send her away. Yet, at the same time, He also refused to help her, saying that He was sent only (or at least first – See Mark 7) to the House of Israel, not to the gentiles (Mt: 10:5; Acts 3:25&26; Romans 1:16; 15:8-9).

Time Out! Although you may not have considered this, Jesus was sent to teach and minister to the Jewish people, the ones through which the divine covenants and messianic prophecies would be fulfilled — that was His mission, that was God’s strategy. Now, this is not to say that He did not care about everyone else — He did. But, Jesus turned that part of the mission over to His disciples, who were commissioned to go into all of the world, ministering to everyone, making disciples in all of the nations. (Matthew 28; Mark 16; Acts 10; Romans 15:8-12). Ok, break!

Seeing the intensity of the disciples’ discussion with Jesus, and perhaps sensing that their annoyance stemmed from her, the Canaanite woman rushed to bow at Jesus’ feet. And, with the complete desperation of an exhausted, final plea, she cried, “Lord, help me!”

But, using a simple, if not crude, parable, just as He had done while teaching and addressing the people of Israel, He repeated His mission and purpose through an analogy. The bread (Jesus) was to be given to the children of Israel (the Jews), not to the dogs (the rest of the gentile world), even those who were eagerly waiting.

And, had she been like most of those who had heard Jesus’ parables (see Mt 13:10-15), those whose hearts were too dull to understand, she, too, would have lacked comprehension. Maybe she would have gotten offended; maybe angry; maybe so deeply hurt and emotionally devastated that she storms off, telling everyone she encounters that it’s all an elaborate charade.

But, she wasn’t like everyone else, and her heart wasn’t dull — it was full of faith, great faith. And, her faith gave her understanding, so much so that she responded to Jesus with a statement in-kind, “Yes, what you say is true, Lord, but there’s always a little leftover, isn’t there? Maybe just a few crumbs of grace, falling, at times, from the master’s table — crumbs that that even us dogs can enjoy?”

It was a response, full of steadfast faith, the likes of which Jesus had scarcely seen, even in His own disciples (Mt. 8:26; 14:31; 16:8; 17:20; 8:10). And, it was a response that changed everything, for her and her daughter.

Jesus, full of awe, replied, “O woman, your faith is great. It shall be done for you as you wish!”

You see, even in the midst of God’s sovereign plans and purposes in this world, there are still opportunities for divine interruptions, momentary outpourings of grace. And, they most often result from a person’s response of steadfast faith.

So, the real question is how we will choose to respond when these situations arise?

Will we take offense, question His loving character, and angrily walk away? Or, will we remember and respond like the Canaanite woman, choosing to maintain our steadfast faith in Jesus, even when we don’t fully understand?

Our response of faith can create the opportunity for a similar interruption of grace in our own lives, the miracle we desperately need.

I mean, we hear about it in church circles all the time — it’s a duty, a Christian responsibility, a command, something that we’re just supposed to do. But, is that it? If so, then there’s no wonder why so few Christians ever actually do it.

What’s the disconnect?

Let me bring it to light through a rather unconventional comparison.

How many people do you know that have dabbled in, tried, or are currently driving you nuts with their latest attempt at direct sales or network marketing? Yeah, I’m talking about your Avon, Herbalife, Advocare, Juice Plus, Arbonne, etc. type of friends. How many of them have actually achieved the “dream” that lured them in the beginning? Probably not many, if any.

Well, recently, I had the interesting opportunity to meet and listen to some of the best and brightest (and richest) consultants from a leading direct-sell company, and I was blown away. Here’s what I learned: There’s a HUGE difference between those kind of network marketers and everyone else, especially our on-and-off again, here-today-and-gone tomorrow, moved-on-to-the-next-great opportunity type of friends. And, it highlighted a visible difference between those dabbling with “dutiful” evangelism and those who actually live it out in a truly difference-making way. Interestingly enough, these professional network marketers used an approach that also seemed to mirror principles of evangelism.

Here’s what these pros had to say; here’s their approach…

“Champions are champions not because they do anything extraordinary but because they do the ordinary things better than anyone else.” — Chuck Noll

Like many things in life, success isn’t really about doing things that no one else can do; it’s achieved in great part by simply doing the common, ordinary, routine things better than everyone else. They always make the call, follow-up, put in the time, study, practice, etc. What’s great about this, if you believe it to be true, is that the majority of people, then, all have the same potential for greatness — it only comes down to each person’s own determination and will.

To be successful, really successful, you’ve got to “go pro.”

If it only comes down to determination and will, then you have to choose to do everything it takes to become a professional at what you are doing, just like an athlete preparing for the NFL or a student preparing to be a doctor or a lawyer. You choose to “go pro” long before you hit the professional football field (see Zach Thomas), step into the courtroom, or slip on the surgical gloves. It’s about that inner-decision to make network marketing your very lifestyle, not just a part of your life. It’s about seeing every decision you make each day as a step toward your overall vision, everything you do changing and conforming to your ultimate network marketing goal.

Be aware and ready to take advantage of every opportunity whenever and wherever it comes along.

When you have chosen to “go pro,” making network marketing your lifestyle, you will see everything around you through the lens of that particular business opportunity. You’ll be on the look out for every chance, whenever and wherever it may present itself. You will constantly be aware of the people around you and look for the clues that can open doors to conversation about your “business opportunity,” whether that is simply selling product or potentially expanding your network. You may be in the grocery store, the softball dugout, the break room, or the cafe — it doesn’t matter — seize the moment, take the time, making whatever changes to your “other” plans that might be necessary.

Be prepared in advance for every opportunity.

You can be aware and ready to jump on an opportunity, but if you’re not prepared for the encounter in advance, you’re likely to fail. Study, know your product, know the business model, etc. One of the most overlooked aspects of preparation is to focus on your story and that of others. As a network marketer, you’re also a professional story teller, your most powerful tool. A good story is non-threatening, opens the door to more conversation, and will address: Where were you in life before you personally experienced this business opportunity for yourself? What is life like for you currently, now that you are in the business opportunity? And, where are you going, as in what is this business opportunity allowing you to achieve in regards to your future goals?

So, knowing this, prepare your story in advance for a variety of possible encounters, like the random 30 second encounter in the grocery store line, the three minute conversation at the park, or the 15 minute car ride. In addition, know the story of your fellow network members, which serves to expand your toolbox, giving you the opportunity to connect to an even wider audience.

The 80-20 Rule (Otherwise known as the “Shut-Up-And-Listen” rule)

Prepare and hone the skill of asking the proper questions, those that will naturally lead you into your story and expand the conversation (your opportunity!).

How might this look? Example: Your business opportunity is about health supplements and weight loss. You’re in the grocery store and notice someone in line that has low calorie, diet products in their cart. You can ask, “I noticed that you were buying some health supplements. You want to hear something amazing? (Whose going to say no, right?) Would you believe that I have lost (or my friend has lost) X amount of weight on “these” products? (products related to your business opportunity)

When you are equipped and ready to ask the right questions, listen! Each response to your question provides you with the information you need to construct your “pitch,” helping guide your conversation toward your “business opportunity” story. If you’re doing all of the talking, you’re aimlessly wandering and will squander your opportunity.

What about the “hard” questions?

Practice this response, “I don’t know about that, but what I do know is this…” Bring it back to what you know and have personally experienced. You see, you can’t argue with a person’s story — it’s their experience and they know it best. The only thing that can jeopardize your opportunity is speaking about that which you do not know.

Employ your mentor or adviser (person in the business longer or “higher up” than you)

Don’t be afraid to bring your mentor, your adviser, or your sponsor into the conversation — a matter of fact, make it a practice to do so! This can be vitally important when you are confronted with questions you don’t know how to answer, but it also helps further substantiate what you’ve been talking about. Now, there is someone else involved in the conversation who has experienced the same great opportunity and can share their own story (and those of their friends)!

Practical: Do Mixers and Other Group-based Events.

Invite people into your home and practice hospitality. This creates a casual, non-threatening environment to continue the conversation about your business opportunity. Get to know your prospects (those that have shown any interest whatsoever), and invite your friends (those “story telling” friends that are part of the business already). Let the conversation continue and grow, creating the opportunity for them to ask deeper and more meaningful questions about the business without significant time constraints. You’ll build greater relationships, foster more trust, and expand your contacts (your prospect’s potentially interested friends). And, when you follow-up with your guests, you’ve immediately created more opportunities!

Set achievable and measurable goals.

Why? Because a plan without measurable goals is only a good intention, which, as we all know, often passes by, succumbing to more pressing needs/wants or our eventual disinterest. But, when you create short-term, measurable goals, you create a much greater possibility of real action. Start with smaller, achievable goals, and then grow them as you continue to grow. You might start off with the goal to talk to 3 new people each week, which, after you begin to meet and sustain that goal, may then grow into 3 new people a day!

Avoid the death blow.

The quickest way to kill your opportunities, and eventually your entire network marketing business, is to be something or someone you’re not. Don’t be a hypocrite or a liar; be who you say you are. And, if you say you are going to do something, do it. If your business is built largely on your story, your reputation, and the trust you have fostered, then it will unravel and fall apart the moment you violate that trust, tarnish your reputation, or contradict your story. And, when this happens, the damage will extend far beyond that particular prospect; it will extend to their friends, acquaintances, and anyone else who mentions that business opportunity in the future. The damage is exponential.

You see, after listening to these professionals talk about network marketing and how they approach their business, the difference between them and my more casual, laid back, and much less successful friends becomes readily apparent. They may ultimately want the same things, have the same dreams and aspirations, but they don’t at all have the same understanding, determination, or approach, the difference between a dabbling amateur and a true professional.

And, the same is true of only “dutiful” Christians, those that dabble with evangelism only because they think they’re supposed to. Even though they may genuinely want others to know the Lord, they haven’t yet sold out or made evangelism a lifestyle.

They have yet to “go pro,” and the world can see the difference.

Disclaimer: I am not attempting to cheapen the gospel by saying that we should distill it down into some kind of sales routine. My only goal is to help us see the difference and the greater potential that each of us have to share Christ’s love with others. We are capable of much more if we will pursue the Lord, really let His love fill us, and begin to reflect that love in a very real way to others all around us. These network marketing principles serve as a creative foundation for evangelism, but should not be employed merely as a way to increase evangelistic productivity — it’s about reaching each and every person the Lord brings into our lives through sincere love and concern for that particular individual. Don’t make this a numbers game, but use it as a personal challenge to become more aware, more determined, and more active in reaching out to others.

]]>http://www.roseheights.org/blog/the-professional-the-amateur-and-the-dabbling-evangelist/feed/0The Scarlet Thread to Christhttp://www.roseheights.org/blog/the-scarlet-thread-to-christ/
http://www.roseheights.org/blog/the-scarlet-thread-to-christ/#respondWed, 21 May 2014 16:34:56 +0000http://www.roseheights.org/?p=537Read more »]]>To me, there is little I find more enjoyable than getting up early on Saturday mornings, strolling down the block to Panera Bread, finding a perfect spot on the large covered patio, savoring their strawberry-pecan steel-cut oatmeal, sipping a Hazelnut coffee, and then losing myself in the Word.

Recently, on one such morning, I became enthralled in a somewhat unusual passage, Matthew 1, a genealogy of the lineage of Christ, one of those “this person was the father of that person, who was the father of this person” type of things. At first glance, it sounds boring and stale, right?

But, it’s really not blasé, and here’s why: the scarlet thread.

If you were going to pick the lineage of Christ, who would be in the club? Who would you choose to help usher in God’s own Son, the savior of the entire world? Kings maybe? The rich, the famous, the best and brightest mankind had to offer?

And, yet, who do we find in this boring old genealogical list?

Jesus’ heritage, those chosen by God to help pave the way for Christ’s arrival, includes the likes of Rahab, a foreign prostitute. And, not to be outdone, there’s Bathsheba and Uriah, David and Solomon. These folks are your “scarlet letter” type of people, whose public flaws and failures, egregious sins and moral compromise were epic.

So why them?

Rahab, yes, that Rahab. She was the Canaanite prostitute living in Jericho, who hid the two Hebrew spies and was spared by Joshua and the Israelites after the walls fell. Afterwards, she and her family were adopted into the Israelite nation, where she married and had a son, Boaz, weaving the scarlet thread of her life directly into the divine fabric of the Messiah’s lineage.

rahab-1But, why? Maybe because it speaks of God’s tremendous redeeming love, grace, and mercy – that He and His incredible plan for our lives is just one decision away. Rahab believed and acted, choosing the Lord when given the chance; she made one decision for God and it changed her entire future, freeing her from her past. But, it didn’t end there – God blessed the decision, blessed her life, and made her redemption story a part of His master plan to redeem the entire human race.

It’s kind of fitting, don’t you think?

But, the scarlet thread doesn’t end there, right away we see it again in verse 6, “Jesse was the father of David the king. David was the father of Solomon by Bathsheba who had been the wife of Uriah.”

Oh, snap! Did they have to include Bathsheba and bring up the despicably evil way David stole her from Uriah?

Do you remember the story? David sees Bathsheba, a married woman, bathing on her roof, yeah. Well, he brings her to the palace – one thing leads to another – and she’s pregnant. As idiotic as David was, he proceeds to compound his sin and stupidity by scheming and manipulating. He brings Uriah, Bathsheba’s husband, back from the battlefield just so that he will go home, sleep with his wife, and then believe that the child is his when later born. But, of course, the husband was too loyal and honorable for that to work – he refuses to go home. If his friends on the battlefront can’t come home, he won’t either. David goes to plan B. He tries to get Uriah drunk, thinking that he will lose his inhibition, his principles, and will then run home to his wife. It still doesn’t work. So, David, desperately trying to cover his sin, schemes to have Uriah killed in battle, no one the wiser. It works, Uriah dies fighting for the King who takes his wife to be his own. But, it doesn’t work on God. He intervenes, calls out David through a prophet, and punishes him, all sorts of calamity befalling David and his kingdom.

But, after it all, God blesses a repentant David and his wife Bathsheba with a child, a child who would become a central figure in God’s master plan – building the long promised temple and fulfilling the crucial ancestral links to Christ Himself.

So, again, why?

Maybe because it highlights the fact that no matter how your life began, no matter the potentially horrible circumstances surrounding your birth, whether you feel like you were “supposed” to be born or not, like Solomon, God has a plan for your life! David was not “supposed” to have had Bathsheba as a wife; Solomon was not supposed to be their child. But, God turned and used that horrible situation for good, redeeming it, and bringing out of it something incredible, pointing the way to the coming Christ, who would redeem the entire world.

You see, the Word says that God knows each and every one of us before we were ever born, having already written out all of the days that were created for us. And, it also declares that we are His unique creation, made for good, with a future and a hope – regardless of how we arrive on the planet.

I am so thankful that God included people like this, those we label “scarlet letter” folks, in His plans, in the very lineage of Christ. It tells me that even though there have been times in my life, even as a Christian, where I felt so ashamed and unworthy, like I was wearing a scarlet letter for all to see, that God is still faithful. He mercifully forgives, restores, and redeems, constantly searching for us and calling to us – “Return to me that I may return to you.”

He has woven me back in to His story, using me to accomplish His plans – the extent of which I may never know – just like Rahab or Solomon.

And, He will do it for you, too!

I don’t know where you are in life, what you have gone through, or what you may be going through currently, but this is one thing I believe with all of my heart — you were made for a reason; you have a God-give purpose in this world, no matter the circumstances surrounding you, even if things feel like they have been messed up in life since the very beginning, even from birth.

If things are going crazy and you’re doing your own thing, following your own plan – He’s there, only one decision away. And, if you feel like life’s deck of cards is just stacked against you, maybe even from the very beginning — the family you were raised in, the past hurt you’ve experienced, the personal mistakes along the way – you still have purpose. You were no accident; your life is not defined by your circumstances – there is still hope.

Let the Lord guide you; let Him begin to reveal the plans He has for you – trust Him and stop beating yourself up.

God’s plans are for everyone, not just the ones that seemingly have it all together!

And, all of this I know from a “boring” old genealogical list.

]]>http://www.roseheights.org/blog/the-scarlet-thread-to-christ/feed/0Fully Alivehttp://www.roseheights.org/blog/fully-alive/
http://www.roseheights.org/blog/fully-alive/#respondWed, 26 Feb 2014 16:29:56 +0000http://www.roseheights.org/?p=534Read more »]]>This Thanksgiving Amanda and I took the kids, my mother, and her dog, on a crazy trip to Arizona, right smack in the middle of an ice storm that made the travelling experience nightmarish – long delays, slippery roads, 360s, late nights, etc. But, when we finally got there, we had a blast, saw the Grand Canyon, hung out in Scottsdale, spent time as a family – good times. One of the coolest things we got to do is to visit my sister’s church, which, it just so happens, was the church that my biggest “man-crush” attends – Kurt Warner!

Even though he wasn’t in attendance that particular day, the service was still a special one for me. You see, the pastor got up to speak and in the middle of his message, he threw in a quote from St. Irenaeus (eye-re-nay-us), a church father type of guy, that blew my mind. Around 150 A.D. he wrote:

The glory of God is man fully alive, and the life of man is the vision of God. If the revelation of God through creation already brings life to all living beings on the earth, how much more will the manifestation of the Father by the Word bring life to those who see God.” – Adversus Haereses (Against Heresies), IV, 20, 7.

Unfortunately, for the pastor, my mind immediately began to wander, constantly batting around in the confines of my brain what this short phrase really meant – “The glory of God is a man fully alive…”

Think about that phrase with me for a second. What does it mean to you?

Although it spoke volumes to me, for some reason, I couldn’t get away from one central concept — the idea of someone existing in a state where they weren’t “fully” alive, but also not “fully dead,” somewhere in between, zombie-like.

I’ll be the first to tell you – I don’t get the whole cult phenomenon that is our collective infatuation with the specter of a zombie apocalypse. There’s been tons of zombie movies with famous movie stars and television shows like the Walking Dead, which consistently ranks at the top of the charts in cable viewership. There’s survival guides, and even the government has gotten into the mix, their Center for Disease Control, Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response, creating a public initiative for Zombie Preparedness.

With that said, everyone reading this probably has at least a rudimentary knowledge of these Hollywood creatures.

So, what are some of the things that make a zombie a zombie?

They’re not alive, but they’re not dead either – their just “un-dead.” Zombies continue to exist, moving around at will, but without any sense of real life. No feeling; no caring; no relationship; no perception; with a highly limited sense of awareness.
Zombies are only focused on one thing – trying to satisfy their insatiable appetite. They don’t care about others, even other zombies, they just want to eat — anything warm with a pulse.
Their existence is based on pure randomness – they just wander from place to place with no purpose, no plan; they are free but also enslaved to their condition.
And, they can’t see beyond the immediate, the here and now.
Interestingly enough, there are several Biblical parallels we can make to this zombie phenomenon, those existing somewhere between fully alive and fully dead.

You see, this is how the Word reflects the whole zombie concept.

Ephesians 2:1-4 — And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.

Before Christ, all of us, each and every one, existed in a place of death – we “lived,” waking each morning, going through the motions — surviving. But, we all knew there was something more, a greater life to be lived. We didn’t know it, but we were existing as if we were the living “dead,” all of our wrong choices, our sins, separating us from God, separating us from true life, separating us from a hope-filled future.

Romans 6:1-14 — What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it? Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace.

Galatians 2:20 – I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

The Word says that we were once walking around dead like zombies, dead in our sin, our existence, and our future. But, then Christ! He came and died for us, taking away the disease of sin forever, bringing us back to life, giving us a hope, and removing the sting of death forever. Now, we live, in and through Christ.

Unfortunately, however, even though we have been made new creations (2 Cor 5:17), having been given a new life, we have the tendency to somehow, someway revert back to our old ways, succumbing to the infected world in which we live, the lure of flesh constantly trying to draw us back to that zombie-like state once again.

We see this in the book of Revelation, described as being in a “lukewarm” state again – not fully alive, but not fully dead either:

Revelation 3:15-21 — ‘I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot (another way to say the same thing: ‘I know your deeds, that you are neither fully alive nor fully dead’); I wish that you were cold or hot (fully alive or fully dead). So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold (by now you get the picture!), I will spit you out of My mouth. Because you say, “I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,” and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked, I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see. Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous (passionate always) and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me. He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.

And, in Ephesians 4, we, who have experienced life in and through Christ, are reminded not to let the infected world pull us back into that zombie-like existence again. We have truly lived! Don’t go back to living like zombies again, just surviving, led about only by our own needs and wants, our hearts calloused, cold, and hard.

Ephesians 4:18-24 — So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind, being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart; and they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness. But you did not learn Christ in this way, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus, that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.

You see, in Hebrews 3, the heart-hardening process is explained a little more clearly. It warns us about letting our hearts turn evil and unbelieving, pointing out that sin, in all of its deceitfulness, continues to harden our hearts, little by little, if we stay in it. Just like a weight-lifter who builds callouses unknowingly each time he raises a bar, so too do we callous our hearts every time we sin.

Hebrews 3:12-14 — Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end.

To keep this from happening, we have a need to be constantly re-filled, renewed in the Holy Spirit, something only accomplished through daily encounters with Christ. You see, prayer, Bible study, quiet-times, hearing the Lord, obeying His voice, etc. – they really aren’t just faith disciplines – they’re inoculations against the old, zombie-like self. They serve to help us connect again with the Lord, allowing Him into our lives, keeping us alive, reigniting our passion, and, through His gentle conviction, softening our hearts. The faster we are to run to Him, to connect again, even to repent, to turn from our old ways, those momentary bouts with infection, the better able we are to stay fully alive, totally free.

And, when we learn to abide constantly in that place with the Lord, fully dependent upon His abundant grace, we become fully alive – living an abundant life (John 10:10); a life full of meaning and purpose (Jeremiah 29:11, 2 Timothy 1:9, 2 Corinthians 5:18, Romans 8:28, Ephesians 2:10); and a life with a bright future and a fully assured hope (Romans 15:13, John 3:16).